Kaizer Chiefs sack boss Ernst Middendorp as Amakhosi chairman explains decision to sack German
Kaizer Chiefs have sack head coach Ernst Middendorp following crunch talks on Wednesday.
Middendorp failed to deliver the 2019/20 Absa Premiership title to Naturena despite leading Chiefs in pole position for all of 28 rounds, only to lose it to Mamelodi Sundowns on the final day of the season.
This follows Amakhosi’s devastating 2018/19 campaign in which they also suffered heartbreak by dropping out of the top eight on the final matchday, before becoming the first top flight club to lose the Nedbank Cup final to lower tier opponents TS Galaxy.
The 61-year-old penned a two-and-a-half-year deal in December 2018 as he took over from Italian mentor Giovanni Solinas, who was also sacked over the team’s poor performance.
However, the club has confirmed that he will not see out the remaining year on his contract as the club looks to replace him ahead of the 2020/21 campaign, which is scheduled to kick-off next month.
After 60 matches at the helm during his second stint with tThe Glamour Boys, Middendorp managed 31 wins, 12 draws and 17 losses in all competitions, with no silverware obtained.
Meanwhile, Chiefs chairman Kaizer Motaung has explained the process that led to the decision to sever ties with coach Ernst Middendorp.
“We deliberated and considered many aspects related to the team including our way of playing, our performances and the results before coming to the decision,” Motaung explained on the club’s website.
“We truly believed and hoped that our 50th anniversary would be better, and it indeed looked promising.
“The decision taken is part of a strategy to have the team win trophies again and to make our supporters happy, because they deserve better.”
“After giving the coach and the technical team the ammunition required to compete in the new season, there were some improvements, and this was evident during the first seven months of this 2019/20 season.
“However, when the league restarted post-lockdown, things changed, and we looked a totally different side in our last eight league matches.
“We witnessed some heart-stopping performances and we were overtaken on the log in the last game of the season, which truly broke our hearts. We have to take responsibility – we can’t wait and allow this situation to continue.”
In a bid to replace the German trainer, a host of coaches have been linked with Amakhosi demanding managerial job.
And Middendorp could return back to the Ghana Premier League with former side Asante Kotoko likely to be the prefered destination according to close source.
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